This invention relates to an automatic seat belt device and, more particularly, to a stationary guide for a seat belt of an automatic seat belt device.
A conventional automatic seat belt with a belt guide which rotates longitudinally of a vehicle when an occupant gets in or out of the vehicle is already known in which stationary guides for the seat belt are laterally provided at both right and left sides of a front seat cushion. More particularly, a stationary guide 3 for a seat belt 2 is provided, as shown in FIG. 4, at the side of a front seat cushion between a belt guide 1 which rotates longitudinally of the vehicle and an emergency locking type rewinder (ELR), thereby preventing an inner seat belt 2a from movng upwardly. Thus, the restriction of an occupant is smoothened. However, since the position and the inclination of the guiding section of the guide 3 are constant, an irregularly displaced part is produced at the belt 2a, thereby causing a difficulty in the operation of the belt.
Another automatic seat belt device has been proposed to eliminate the above drawbacks, as shown in FIG. 5, in which a stationary guide body 5 is mounted on the side surface of a front seat cushion 4, and a guide ring 7 having a long guiding hole 6 for an inner belt 2a is pivotally secured at the end of the body 5 to rotate through a predetermined angle longitudinally of the vehicle, so that the guide section is movable, thereby preventing the occurrence of the irregularly displaced part of the belt 2a at the stationary guide.
According to the structure of this seat belt device, the displacement of the belt 2a can be slightly prevented, but, as evident from FIG. 5, the long hole 6 still is inclined longitudinally of the vehicle due to the rotation of the ring 7. Accordingly, a twist still is produced at the belt 2a. Thus, the belt does not slide smoothly, as was the case with the stationary guide 3, so that if a high load is applied to a drive motor, a door can be hard to open or the ELR may not sufficiently rewind, with the result that the stationary guide of the belt does not smoothly operate.